I'm back into my archives for this pic of a fine old church, St Denys, Walmgate in York Yorkshire, taken on my trip last fall. It is a very old church, built in the 14th & 15th centuries and was actually quite a bit larger but sections have collapsed through the centuries and its spire was hit by cannon shot during the Civil War and was then struck by lightening so had to be removed in the 18th century. The stained glass has survived and it has some of the oldest glass in York. It was a rather dull day when I was there and my pics of the glass didn't work unfortunately.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click here for more religious buildings.
I am not a great fan of heights but I thoroughly enjoyed the view from the bar on the top 32nd floor of the Centrepoint Building in London during my recent tour of England. From high above the Tottenham Court Rd tube station this view is looking east along New Oxford St towards Bloomsbury. It was great fun looking down on the double decker buses zooming about and the pedestrians speeding along the sidewalks.
The November theme for the City Daily Photo blogs is 'heights'. Click here to see more examples from around the world.
The Chapter House at York Minster in York is a large octagonal room built as a place for the governing body of the cathedral to hold meetings. This lovely light-filled space was completed in 1290 and it is filled with wonderful carvings and stained glass with the whole thing topped by this spectacular domed ceiling, done in the "Decorated Gothic" style popular at the time. The paintings on the ceiling date from 1795 but the ribs and bosses are original. York has been on my bucket list and it didn't disappoint!
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click here to see more religious buildings.
The November 1 theme for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Heights."
The Shambles, an extremely narrow street in York, is one of the most famous streets in Britain and also one of the most incredibly well preserved medieval streets in the world. That is not a trick of the camera - the timber framed buildings, which date from the 14th & 15th century, actually lean out like that towards each other. The street was the home to all the butchers of medieval York and the buildings were constructed like that to add some protection for the shop windows on the main floors. No butchers remain on the street now but rather it is lined with shops catering to tourists. This was the least crowded that I saw it during my visit to York - it was normally really congested!
I found out when visiting York that a Bar is actually a gate in the wall that once surrounded the old medieval part of the city and not a drinking establishment. This is Bootham Bar, one of the 4 main gates in the wall and its arch was constructed in the 1100s while most of it is from the 14th century. You can enter here and then go up onto a large section of the wall that still exists and which wraps around behind York Minster giving you a great view as you head over to Monk Bar. Those are 2 spires of the Minster visible over top of the brick buildings.
If you ignore the sign that I showed you yesterday you will end up in the River Ouse which runs through the city of York and has 9 bridges that cross it within the city limits. This fine-looking Gothic style bridge is Lendal Bridge and it is an iron bridge that opened in 1863 within the walls of the old city. It is nicely decorated with the white roses of York all along below the handrail and even the York coat-of-arms visible in the middle. Continuing along to the right leads you right up to York Minster.
I spotted this sign along the edge of the River Ouse in York when I was there during my recent holiday. The message is short & sweet don't you think? And would certainly make you slow down and drive carefully!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs!
Yet another piece of street art from Liverpool, I spotted several copies of this wheat paste installation during my wanderings there. I quite like it and for some reason it reminds me of Keith Richards - it must be the hat!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here to see more murals from around the world.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians!
I've had little chance to get out and about here in Toronto since I came back from holidays, so yet another pic from England. This one was taken by the Albert Dock in Liverpool and I loved the contrast of the modern buildings with the older ones around them. I was unable to determine what they are used for and it started to rain just after I took the pic so I didn't go over to explore!
Taking part in Weekend Reflection. Click here for more reflections.
The 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square in London is now occupied by this huge wonderfully blue cockerel which will be there until 2015. The intense blue hits you as soon as you approach the square - I loved it on a grey day - and relative to the size of all the pigeons below it on the plinth you can get an idea of its size. The artist is German Katherina Fritsch and she calls the piece "Hahn/Cock". The plinth has been the site of temporary sculpture since 1999 after remaining empty for over 150 years before that.
This is the wonderful sign and carvings found above the main entrance to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in the Bloomsbury area of London. One of the most exclusive theatrical schools in the world, the Academy was founded in 1904 and moved into this building in 1927. I love the style of the figures and their masks.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
Another shot from the top of the Centrepoint Building looking east towards the British Museum (in the middle) which looks like a green cushion to me, and Russell Square just behind it . It is such fun picking out the various landmarks from up there and seeing the tops of all the other structures in the area.
When I was in Liverpool, I happened upon a few freshly painted murals by the artist Cranio from Sao Paulo, Brazil. He had been in London to do a large mural and then to Barcelona for another project before doing these pieces in Liverpool. All of them were images of the blue people for which he is known.
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
When you continue down the road in yesterday's pic you arrive at the shore of the River Lune which meanders along past Kirkby Lonsdale and eventually empties into the Irish Sea. We walked along for quite awhile and it has to be one of the cleanest-looking rivers I've seen - the water was so clear! There were a number of people taking canoeing lessons that day and you can just make out one of the canoes on the right-hand edge of the river. A fabulous area!
I showed you St Mary's Church from Kirkby Lonsdale, last Sunday, and thought I would give you a bit of an idea of the setting of this pretty small town in the south part of England's Lake District. The town sits at the top of a hill overlooking a valley which has the River Lune running through it and has a super view of the hills rolling away in the distance. This small street is typical of the roads leading down to the river and shows the wonderful stone construction found throughout the town. It's a beautiful place!
I spotted this sign set into a walkway in London that ran along the side of a grade school. It doesn't seem as if any explanation is needed!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
Continuing on random posts from my recent trip, this is a shot taken in London of some of the wonderful details that I found on the Adelphi building overlooking the Strand by the River Thames . The building was constructed from 1936 to 38 and has so much wonderful Art Deco detailing all over it - around the doorways and the corners, etc that I took many pics. These little guys were found in the door surrounds and seem to be performing various activities but I am not sure what the significance is. I really liked them though.
The City Daily Photo theme for the month is Details. To see more details from around the world click here.
I'm still going through the pics from my trip so the posts are a bit random as I come across a pic that I like. Of all the places I went, Liverpool seemed to have the most graffiti and murals which reminded me of home here in Toronto. I spotted this mural in an area of Liverpool that seems to be transitioning from an artist area to a club/entertainment centre. The artist of this mural, titled "Beauty Of The Beast", is the German artist Phillip Jordan who is known for his teddy bears and who was commissioned to do this piece in 2010. The teddies seem to be doing a fine job on the beast right down to the bow on the tail!
Taking part in Monday Murals. Click here for more murals.
This is St Mary's Anglican Church, found in the small Lake District town of Kirkby Lonsdale in England. Parts of the church were built in the early 12th century with various additions occurring through the centuries until it was restored in 1866 in its present form and it is now historically designated.
Taking part in Inspired Sunday. Click here to see more religious buildings.
I just returned yesterday from my travels in England and a side trip to Paris so I am just catching up on everyone's blogs and taking a peek at the pics I took. Part of an attempt to explore more of London included a trip to the Hackney area in East London which has seen trouble in the past but seems to be undergoing an upsurge in development now. There is a wonderful waterway winding through the area and these swans followed us for quite awhile hoping for a hand-out. They abandoned us when a fellow came along with some food for them!
